Wanderers V Malahide J2 Match Report.
23/01/2008
J2/"A" League , Saturday 19th ,Merrion Road.
Wanderers 50 Malahide 5
All the preseason and regular maintenance work done by Tommy, Niall Crowley and Paul Whelan on the seconds pitch really paid off as the pitch was in remarkably good condition, with a solid underfoot, given the recent bad weather. Thus, the game went ahead despite many other games falling foul of the weather.
Wanderers started well, but failed to capitalise on some good field position ,turning the ball over from lineouts close to the Malahide line. Wanderers eventually stared to get into good field positions on a regular basis and started to make the most of their opportunities as backs and forwards linked well. Tries came through Bill o Meara, Eoin McNestry, Ross o Connor and Nial Flynn.
Malahide played well and troubled Wanderers on a number of occasions in the first half, but unfortunately they never got any return from their endeavours, unlike Wanderers who benefited from lucky bounces (bill) ricochets (iggy) and interceptions. Malahide came very close to scoring a try just before halftime when a lapse of concentration and a sloppy missed tackle nearly resulted in a try but some last ditch defending kept Malahide out.
As the second half progressed Malahide scored an early try when a poor scrum in the corner caused a blocked clearance kick from which the Malahide flanker scored. Unfortunately for Malahide as the half progressed they suffered a number of injuries which greatly hampered their backline, a factor that the Wanderers backs took full advantage of scoring tries through Simon Kelly, Brian McFadden, Dave Jelly and Ray Maguire to leave the final score at Wanderers 50 Malahide 5 .
Coaches Comment;
A good team performance against a tough physical team who , despite the scoreline, played well and fought for 80 mins. The Wanderers backs made the most use of the surprisingly solid ground and ran to great effect. The Wanderers pack won good quick ball at the set piece and is starting to improve each match they play. Most pleasing aspects of the day were the rearranged backline running to great effect and the excellent decision making of stand in captain Bill o Meara , who tactically mixed the game up well.
Finally, congrats to prop Owen "mannion" McNestry on scoring his first ever try, at any level. Fitting reward for a player, who has come back from 2 years out of rugby, worked tremendously hard in training and is playing well.
